NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead in apparent suicide

Retired NASCAR driver Dick Trickle, 71, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Boger City, North Carolina Thursday afternoon, according to police.

Trickle's love for racing began in earnest in his hometown of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, at the age of 16 when he bought a 1950 Ford. In his decades-spanning career, Trickle logged an estimated 2,200 races more than one million laps.

Trickle's NASCAR career was highlighted by being the oldest driver to win Rookie of the Year at age 48 and a penchant for smoking cigarettes mid-race.